Food on family holidays
This topic is important to me. In fact, very important. I’m not a dietician – I don’t have to be one – to realize that a healthy diet is crucial for children’s health in terms of immunity, development, growth, general wellbeing and energy. If you prioritize a balanced diet for your child and you’re wondering how to maintain it during carefree holidays, this post is for you 😊 If you do your best to make sure that your family eats healthily and don’t feel like giving up on it while on holiday, here are some tips – to show you that travelling with kids doesn’t necessarily mean an exclusive diet of ice cream, coke and fries all day, every day 😉
Variety
There are many places where we can choose meals in such a way as to ensure a balanced diet. It’s good to offer your kids various foods every day – I bet that it’s possible to find healthy alternatives almost everywhere. And, equally importantly, our children will like them. We can always choose something healthier, such as potatoes instead of fries, or a chicken breast instead of nuggets 😉 If the whole family eat healthily, so will the children. Sometimes I hear that there are many places where it’s impossible to feed children sensibly, but I beg to differ. The cuisine of Poland, as well as of numerous countries around the world, has plenty of varied, nutritious dishes to offer – so many that it’s impossible to list them all.
Some examples
Saying that a culinary map of the world is the embodiment of variety is a truism 😊 There are plenty of examples. Apart from meat, Morocco’s essential cuisine is famous for its vegetables, legumes, and groats. The savory Thai cuisine is based on fresh herbs, lime, tofu, and seafood. Greece, Spain, Italy are not limited to the classics such as pizza and pasta – they offer an explosion of Mediterranean flavors in the form of salads, cheeses, olive oil and juicy fruit. World’s cuisines cater for all tastes; you’re not sentenced to fast food and jelly 😉 Holiday food does not have to lead to indigestion and burying the parents’ efforts to feed their children in a healthy, balanced way. I’ll repeat: we make our own dietary choices – what lands on our plates largely depends on us. Even Cuba, which has a limited access to many products, has some healthy dishes to offer. We need to be sensible and minimize the risk by avoiding foods of questionable quality (and origin) 😉
Child – eating. Mom – waiting to eat.
Child – has eaten. Mom – is eating.
My child doesn’t want to eat anything on holidays
Every child is different – yet another truism! However, it is true that there are children who like to eat more or less, who have a bigger or smaller appetite, who are open to new foods, and children who are more picky. There is also the question of stages in children’s development concerning food, and issues such as food neophobia. I know, I get it. However, I strongly believe that you can always find a few products or dishes that your child will like, such as fruit, a soup, or some kind of bread. People bake simple breads all around the world – naan is just one example. To my mind, it’s better to eat such simple bread every day (i.e. introduce a little less varied diet than normally) than serve your children unhealthy, risky meals 😊 Finally, if your child doesn’t want to eat on holidays, he or she probably doesn’t eat well also at home – which means that food is not an obstacle which should make you resign from travelling with children 😊
Packing food for holidays?
Experimenting with local cuisine is fun, but it’s also a good idea to pack your child’s favorite snacks 😉 We have several safe bets, which we always take with us. Apart from food to eat during the journey (sandwiches, fruit, vegetables, water), we also pack: wholemeal cereal, various nuts, porridge, seeds. As soon as we arrive, we buy some yoghurt, fresh fruit and vegetables. This is the kind of food we eat every day, and when we are on holiday, we extend our diet with delicious local dishes – soups, salads, rice-/pasta-/groats-/potatoes-based meals, and many other. After all, pizza and pasta are popular virtually everywhere, so we don’t have to rely solely on local cuisine 😊 On the other hand, I am aware of the fact that travelling with children who require elimination diet is a different story, and I truly admire the willpower and determination of parents who nonetheless do their best to see the world with their children – dietary restrictions definitely don’t make it easier. If there are such parents among my followers, do let me know! I am curious how you’re dealing with this challenge and what tips and tricks you can recommend to others 😊
Baby food
And how about the youngest kids? The problem is simple with little babies, as they eat milk 😉 However, when M. was a bit older, her diet became a challenge – we had to make sure she was eating healthily, and that the food was safe. When we first went to Asia together, M. was 11 months old, so we packed some snacks (see above), and baby jars (10 of each: Holle chicken, and Holle beef). She got the baby jars for dinner every day, together with some rice and vegetable (we had no trouble finding someone who was kind enough to cook them for us) 😊 For breakfast we had an oatmeal, yoghurt, or some egg-based dish. Snacks – fruit and nuts. What else? Simple bread, delicate soups, fresh veggies and herbs, and lime (M. has always loved it!). And, of course, PLENTY of water 😊
Mum is not watching – legs on the table!
Stomach ache, food poisoning and other travel-related risks
We always take a first-aid kit with us, although I have to admit that we’ve never actually needed it (let’s hope it stays that way!😉), simply because we’ve never experienced any health-related issues while travelling. Anyways, among other things, our kit contains painkillers, anti-inflammatory and anti-diarrheal drugs, as well as electrolytes. We work hard on our immunity all year round, and while on holiday we stick to bottled water and make sure to wash everything properly. And most importantly, we are really careful with the food we serve to M. 😊 Still, in case of any problems, it’s best to consult a doctor, which is why I recommend taking out a good health insurance policy, having the address and phone number of the local health clinic at all times, and making sure that your phone is charged 😊 I won’t exaggerate if I say that a charged battery is a life-saver! 😉
Holiday peccadillos
Let’s face it: holidays are characterized by a different set of rules 😉 Does M. eat only superfoods when we travel? Well, we generally do our best to ensure that she eats well, however, this does not mean that ice cream is completely banned. It’s true that she never had had ice cream before she turned three, but now she only eats it every so often – definitely not every day, and not instead of regular meals. Ice cream is simply dessert (not a reward 😉). After all, we are just flawed human beings, who enjoy ice cream, coffee with something sweet, or a beer with some crisps. Sometimes – not always, not every day. Of course, we all make our dietary choices, both for ourselves and for our kids. All I’m trying to achieve here is to show you that if you want your kid to have a healthy, balanced diet also on holidays (including those exotic), you should have no problems with offering them something healthy, local and delicious. It’s high time we debunked the myth that it’s impossible to eat healthily on holidays! 😊